Engine intake systems may generate noise which may be transmitted through various components in the intake system to a vehicle cabin. The vehicle operation and/or passengers may find this noise displeasing. Consequently, customer satisfaction may be decreased. For example, a turbocharger compressor may generate noises during operation, which may be transmitted to the vehicle cabin. Other intake system components, such as a throttle, may also generate noises, further decreasing customer satisfaction. Specifically, the noises may resonate through various intake conduits and be transferred through various medium to the vehicle cabin.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,842 discloses a multi-chamber resonator box for a vehicle air intake system. The resonator box is configured to reduce the audible frequencies generated in the intake system. The Inventors have recognized several drawbacks with the multi-chamber resonator disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,842. For instance, the resonator box may still generate audible frequencies due to the position and geometry of the expansion chambers in the resonator. Furthermore, the resonator box disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,842 may increase losses in the intake system due to the geometry of the inlet and outlet ports. Consequently, combustion efficiency may be decreased, negatively impacting engine performance.
The inventors herein have recognized the above issues and developed an intake silencer device. The intake silencer device includes an outer housing and a plurality of sequentially arranged expansion chambers separated by walls. The intake silencer device further includes an inner tube positioned in each of the sequential chambers, each of the inner tubes including an opening providing fluidic communication between an interior of the tube and the corresponding expansion chamber, a size of the openings increasing in size sequentially in a downstream direction.
The sequential arrangement of openings increasing in size in a downstream direction enables a range of frequencies to be attenuated by the silencer device. Consequently, noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) in the intake system is decreased. In one example, the outer housing may be cylindrical in geometry. The cylindrical geometry of the outer housing enables the housing to be easily and inexpensively manufactured if desired. Moreover, the cylindrical shape increases the durability of the silencer device, when compared to other shapes. Furthermore, the cylindrical shape of the device enables a desired compactness to be achieved for packaging the silencer device in the intake system, if desired.
Therefore, the technical results achieved via the silencer device include reducing noise generation in the intake system, increasing the compactness of the intake system, and decreasing the manufacturing costs of the intake system. As a result, customer satisfaction is increased.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure. Additionally, the above issues have been recognized by the inventors herein, and are not admitted to be known.